Short, sourced explainers on public-interest developments. Every story links to its source and shows its date.
Voting stations open from 07:00 to 21:00, and election day is a public holiday. Bring a smart ID card, green bar-coded ID book or valid Temporary Identity Certificate — no photocopies, passports or driver's licences. Metro voters get two ballots; voters in other municipalities get three. Check your voting station by SMSing your ID number to 32810.
The National Results Operations Centre opened in Midrand on 28 October. Emerging results will appear on the IEC dashboard after stations close; final results are expected within seven days.
An AI-generated video of the late former president telling voters how to vote has been reported by the IEC. The Commission urged caution with AI content and reminded the public it can report disinformation to Real411.
That is 131% more than in 2021, including 678,525 home visits. Special voting takes place on 2 and 3 November from 08:00 to 17:00. Applications closed on 12 October.
The court set aside the IEC's rejection of some candidate lists, including 181 ANC candidates, and ordered them onto the ballot. The ruling also affects 32 other parties. The IEC is printing 6.6 million additional ballot papers and expects to finish by 30 October.
The platforms and Moxii Africa agreed a cooperation framework with the IEC: complaints can be escalated for swift moderation, and platforms may label or remove content under their own rules. No confidential user data is shared.
More than 888,000 staff will run voting at about 23,000 stations. The IEC is adding 14,000 voter management devices to the 40,000 it already has to ease queues at busy stations.
Parties and candidates must publicly retract and correct false or misleading election information within 36 hours of becoming aware of it, and must clearly label AI-generated content. The code protects criticism, commentary, satire and fair reporting. Real411 is the designated reporting channel.
Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini, Ekurhuleni and Cape Town will use double-column PR ballots because more than 48 parties are contesting. Take your time and check both columns.
Election day is Wednesday 4 November 2026. The voters' roll closed on 10 August and was certified on 26 August; the final candidate lists were published on 16 September.
Check claims against official IEC channels, pause before sharing content designed to make you angry or afraid, reverse-search images, and watch for new accounts imitating official handles.
Posts offering thousands of IEC election jobs through shortened links are fraudulent. The Commission publishes real vacancies only on its own website. Never pay a fee or share banking details to apply.
Misinformation is false information shared without intent to deceive. Disinformation is false information deliberately created or shared to mislead. Both can cause harm; the fix starts with checking the source.